A Polar Bear Named Rufus
by demonichazard
Summary: North has yetis, Tooth has fairies, Bunny has eggs, Sandy has dream sand and Jack? Jack has polar bears as the Easter Bunny soon finds out. Can be read as a follow up story to 'A Frosty Friendship' but it's not needed.
1. Chapter 1 - Cold Callers Not Welcome

A Polar Bear Named Rufus

Summary: North has yetis, Tooth has fairies, Bunny has eggs, Sandy has dream sand and Jack?  
Jack has polar bears as the Easter Bunny soon finds out.  
Can be read as a follow up story to 'A Frosty Friendship' but it's not needed.

The guardian of hope was not a happy bunny. What was the man in the moon thinking, making _Jack Frost_ a guardian? He had most vehemently denied it, pleaded for any other but in the end the guardians had bowed to the MiM superior wisdom and North's indigestion. Of course then the jolly man had the most _brilliant _idea of endearing the winter sprite to them by capturing him in a sack and flinging him through a portal to the North Pole; Not that the pooka had an issue with it (he was still a bit miffed about the Easter of 68).

And so here he was; trying to break into a near impregnable fortress in Antarctica. What possessed the brat to build a giant castle in the middle of this wasteland, Bunny didn't know but it wasn't a choice he'd make; even with his copious amount of fur he was still freezing. He'd take a tunnel if he could but the ice wouldn't break for him. Thus he was scaling the outer wall with the help of a few yetis.

Climbing the glacial walls was the only way in; the draw bridge was up and the wrought ice gate was down blocking off all contact. It was hard work. The walls jutted out in places but were slippery and more than once had the Easter Bunny had his life flash before his eyes. But now they were safely perched on a parapet, looking over a garden carved of ice, dotted with ice sculptures. The whole thing shone in the bright sunlight, appearing as if made from crystal. He was stunned that the arrogant little snot who caused so much trouble and destruction (he would never forget the Easter 68) could create such a master piece.

This only served to further fuel his anger. If the winter sprite was so artistic how come he never volunteered to help the others before? Instead of blizzards and buried eggs, 68 could've been one for the history books.

His inner ranting continued through out their infiltration and had Jack been there to defend himself he would've indignantly questioned why he failed to recall all the times previous Jack had offered to hang out. But Jack wasn't there to pull Bunny from his angry thoughts and the thoughts progressed to mutterings. The yetis exchanged a look, having heard rumours that Jack had taken a leaf from North's book and hired guards for his fortress. After a brief conversation through body language they stayed quiet, deciding that their indistinguishable grunts would only draw more attention and the rabbit wouldn't understand anyway.

They were in the courtyard now, facing the monolithic structure. The Easter Bunny signalled he was going to scout ahead and hopped on, his thumping hops making the yetis wince. Bunny bared no such worries and made his way across the courtyard very brazenly. All he had to do was ring the door bell and swipe that rotten piece of Frostbite into the sack, and then they were home fre—

"Argh," he cried out in a very unmanly shriek as a huge snarling weight crashed into him from the side. He attempted to struggle but an enrage growl held him still, instincts he thought he'd long mastered overtaking. He heard the surprised grumbles from his tag-alongs but he dared not turn to them. He had a freaking _polar bear _on top of him!

There was a screech behind him, like nails on a chalk board. He strained his ears for the cause and was none too pleased when it spoke.

"Cold callers, Rufus, I hate them." Just what Bunny needed; the winter spirit was here to see him floored by a polar bear. That was sure to fill him with confidence in the guardians. How did it even get into the compound? All the entrances were sealed, he had checked. That's when it clicked…

"Why do you have a polar bear? The guardian asked incredulously. Jack said a few things in Icelandic (when had he learned Icelandic?) and _'Rufus' _climbed off of him. Bunny quickly jumped to his feet, his shame turning into ire as he saw Jack ruffle the fur on the bear's head. He was just about to rip into the irresponsible idiot when jack answered.

"Security. North has yetis, Pitch has nightmares, you have those weird looking stone eggs," Bunny bristled and tried to rant again but Jack continued on as if he hadn't notice. "Tooth has the tooth fairies, Sandy has his dream sand and guess what kangaroo, I have polar bears." He then folded his arms and nodded like that explained all.

"That doesn't explain anything!" The Easter Bunny exclaimed and he took a step forward... then jump back when _'Rufus'_ growled. "Why polar bears? And why name one Rufus?" He gestured at the animal but was careful to keep his hand out of reach. Jack adopted a puzzled look, glancing at his usually cuddly, but now slightly grizzly friend then back at the guardian of hope.

"Why not?"

**AN: And another one is done! This was fun to write. I don't have anything against Bunnymund but he is a bit of a sourpuss.**

**I'm not sure if I should keep this as a one shot or go for a mini series e.g. how Jack found Rufus and the others (did you notice I put polar bears.. plural). What happens when Jack and the bears encounter Pitch etc. **

**If you liked it let me know. I'm not one of those who say don't fav/follow without reviewing but it is nice to get a little feedback.**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Surprise Encounter

_**A Surprise Encounter**_

_Summary: Jack is fairly certain polar bears do not live in the South Pole._

Jack stared at the duo in his courtyard and had the distinct feeling that someone was pulling a prank on him.

Because Jack could think of no other reasonable explanation for two polar bears, who're indigenous to the _North_ Pole, to be in the _sealed off _courtyard of his glacial fortress in the South Pole.

His first thought was the Easter kangaroo. That so called '_bunny_' seemed to have a permanent stick lodged up his arse and whilst Jack hadn't done anything _too_ harmful in his opinion, his wicked sense of humour wasn't often shared.

But even if this was a joke on him, he didn't see the punch line and two innocent, and very young if their size was anything to go by, polar bears had become mixed up in this. The winter sprite looked down as he was pulled from his thoughts by a nudging at his legs.

The polar bears, it seemed, had gotten tired of being ignored and were now sniffing at the new creature in front of them. Well one was; the other was quite content to observe.

Jack sighed, and picked the closest one up, cradling it to his chest. Jack loved animals of all kinds but the arctic ones were ones held precious to him. He adored penguins; more than once had he joined them when he saw a group down south and cooed over their young. They reacted to his presence but not negatively as with some other warm-country creatures. He would delight in watching a white fox forage or swoop down and clutch a surprised arctic hare as if they were in a camouflaged game of hide and seek. The animals didn't seem to mind, well except from the hares with their nervous disposition and all, but they always acknowledged him even if it was just a tail flick when a fox noticed they had a stalker. Jack loved animals because they _saw _him.

The animal in Jack's arms was not one he saw often. Unlike the funny little postcards that humans sent each other, polar bears did not have tea parties or any kind of social gatherings with penguins as they were indigenous to the North Pole. And unless Jack felt like sneaking into Santa's Workshop he tended to stay away from the north; it wasn't like he needed to it bring winter.

Looking at the adorable bundle of fur Jack wondered why he'd kept his distance. The polar bear's fur was an intense white, with coal like eyes and a nose that matched. It was swiping its paws at his hand, not maliciously but as a game. He felt the second bump into his legs; like a cat would its owner and Jack supposed he didn't mind the prank. The joke would be on the other when he refused to return the duo.

As he led the twosome into his home, the moon shone down on them, adorning the three in radiant light.

It became apparent to Jack that maybe taking two possibly dangerous animals, no matter their cuteness, into his home was very foolish; especially when he didn't know the first thing about polar bears.

The winter spirit wracked his brains, trying to summon an ounce of knowledge but had to settle on what he knew of grizzlies… which amounted to that they hibernate in caves during the winter and ate fish.

"A cave," he muttered. Whilst he was certain that polar bears had no need for hibernation he figured they still needed a place to crash. Jack wandered into the nearest room and took stock of all inside it. There was ice. That was all.

Letting out another hissing sigh, Jack called the wind to hover him; noticing how the polar bears stumbled back, obviously astounded by his flight. As he glided down the halls, Jack wondered at the almost human intelligence the duo possessed. They seemed to understand his intentions so clearly Jack couldn't put it down to instincts. Maybe he'd had something to do with it.

'Perhaps,' he thought, 'I made them understand me by sheer will power!' Jack smiled at the idea. After all, when you're a spirit that can summon frost with a shepherd's crook and ride the wind, things couldn't really get much stranger.

He gathered some furs he had _acquired_ from oblivious humans. He hadn't really needed them but they contrasted with the glacial qualities of his home _so well_ he hadn't thought twice before he nabbed them. Jack was patting himself on the back now, as he had something to make the room a bit more welcoming for the cubs.

When he returned the more inquisitive bear cub had his eyes fixed on the furs, as if trying to figure out their purpose but the other stared only at him as he slowly descended from the sky.

He could only hope this awareness allowed for an easier transition.

**Hey readers, sorry about the long wait. I was actually planning on finishing this next week (it's half term, woo!) but then I checked my email and saw some of the awesome reviews left for me and decided to finish off this one. Although it was a bit of a bugger getting my computer with a word proccessor to work. I have two computers; one really old one with microsoft word and a new one that has an internet connection. Together they make one workable computer... when they want to behave.**

**So… a filler chapter. Sorry, but it had to be done. I actually had their meeting very different but then I remembered that this was in the humour genre and killing off their mum wouldn't really fit. So ta da, the MIM became the only postman to deliver to the South Pole. The next will probs be posted around Thursday.**

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews, favourites and follows. You guys are awesome! All of you provided me with the pieces I needed to build that sledgehammer to destroy the writers block. High five on a team effort!**

**Question, should I change the character listings to just Jack. Whilst Bunny may make another appearance the main focus of this set will be Jack.**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Name Game

**_The Name Game_**

_Summary: As the cubs settle in to their new home, Jack finds himself harbouring maternal instincts._

Two months had led to Jack learning a lot about his charges. One thing being that despite being almost identical in looks they were both extremely different.

The first one had obviously never heard the saying curiosity killed the cat or had decided the cliché didn't apply to bears. Within the first month it had explored and destroyed all two hundred and eighteen rooms! Despite the many years he spent perfectly arranging the palace (putting _aquired _throw cushions in place and artfully laying pelts etc) all Jack could do was laugh at the bomb sites. It was obvious the polar bear had had fun. Although he did create a set of compacted snow blocks especially for it. He was amazed the first time he saw the cub amassing a huge asorted pile of things in one of the recreation rooms but the expression quickly changed to mirth when it ambled a short distance away only to turn back and barrel full pelt into the heap of objects, although there was a twinge of worry; it was that which prompted Jack to provide a much softer target.

The other however, was a grouch. While Jack had chuckled at the mess the first had made of their room a week into their stay the other had advanced on it in the most menacing manner and smacked a paw over its head. The first, who had been previously preening under Jack's evident delight, had just blinked and tuned to the other one, a questioning rumble emerging from its chops. To which the other had replied with its patented grumpy growl. It had stared at the blocks of snow when it had stumbled across the other two and then turned to Jack with a put upon look before it turn back the way it came, quiet grumpy rumbles echoing back to the winter spirit.

Jack recalled the events with a frown. They were such vibrant characters but Jack had yet to call them anything but it or he or the other. They needed names! He had the day before tried in his mind to call them thing one and two but had felt the sudden need to start talking in rhyme and had to go for a lie down. This time however, Jack was determined to find a name to suit the bears even if it _killed him._

And it very nearly had earlier that day. When he had suggested being called Grumpy and Dopey to the two, 'Grumpy' had almost ripped his face off. 'Dopey' had just grumbled at Jack, refusing to help Jack wrestle the claw swinging cub back under control. It had taken ten minutes for order to be restored and in that time 'Grumpy' had given Jack what looked like a _very _close shave. The winter spirit had swiftly left in search of children, leaving the two to cool off.

He was back now though with some new names to try. He found the more agreeable bear first, having no wish to lose another layer of skin, and almost immediately started to rattle off names to the surprised cub.

"Wilbur? No, then how about Ferris? Kyle? Jamie? Aw c'mon, give me some clue!" Jack whined exasperatedly. Samson, Andy, George and Dean were also rejected and Jack found himself running out of names.

"Quentin? You do look like a Quentin." But the polar bear resolutely shook his head. Jack strode over and picked up another object he had '_acquired' _from humans: a book on polar bears.

"I'll find something to suit you in here then!" Jack proclaimed whilst cracking open the large volume.

"You're from the Arctic, so Arty? No again huh… Ah you're from the North Pole where Nicholas St North lives so how about Nicoli?" The polar bear growled as if offended at being given a used, if slightly changed, name.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realise you were such a diva." Jack sniped back at the snarl drawing a petulant huff from the other.

Jack stared down at the page, noting more facts that might come in handy before he came across the gold mine.

"Polar bear, Latin name: Ursus Maritimus which translates to sea bear. From this day on you shall be known as Martin." Jack beamed at the cub in front of him, who rolled his eyes but otherwise made no move to disagree when Jack gave the ultimatum of that or Martina.

One down, one to go.

Tracking the temperamental twin was easy seeing as he hardly left their rooms. It would on occasion search out Jack but was usually content to just luxuriate on the furs providing its brother wasn't in the room. 'Grumpy' had learnt fast after the first dogpile incident and no amount of swats or growls could scare its brother away.

When it caught sight of Jack and the newly named Martin it hefted itself to its feet and made to escape but Jack was too quick and had nabbed the polar bear before sitting down Indian style with said bear on his lap. Martin took this as an invitation to shove himself into Jack's arms as well and soon both animals were held in an embrace.

"Well, Carebear, oh don't snarl like that, the name isn't permanent, although, it would make a great nickna- ouch! Okay, okay, I'll get to the point." Jack squirmed, buying himself time before the bear would once again rake its claws down his arm.

"What did I do to deserve such a violent charge?" was murmured before he returned to full volume.

"It's confusing calling you both it and he; even in my head I get mixed up! Which is why I have decided to name you both." Here he waited for the warning growl from the usually wholly disapproving bear but none came. A glance down showed that the bear was staring up at him, a half annoyed, half exasperated look on its face as if it knew Jack was going to use this as an excuse to irritate him.

"Your brother was named Martin after his species name. If you were a girl, I'd call you Ursula after your genus but you're not… I suppose I could call you that anyway." This time the warning growl did come.

"But no, I've decided already that your name will have nothing to do with your latin name or even polar bears in general. You are like a very grumpy old man and thus I have decided you must have a name to fit. You were pretty close to becoming Cuthbert but no… your name shall be," he paused for dramatic effect, ignoring the snarls coming from the cub that he had been sounding since being called a 'grumpy old man' and beamed at no one in particular.

"Rufus!"

**Hey, its still thursday where i am, 11:22pm so i didn't lie! And i was late because i spent the day with a group of friends after re-watching rise of the guardians, Whoop! Happy Valentines day!  
Well, another one down. Had fun writing this one and its true, polar bears did play bowling with themselves as the ball.  
Ooh question, do you guys like the chapters on the bears or would you prefer me throwing more characters into the mix?  
****Next time... Pitch!**  



	4. Chapter 4 - A Guardian and His Wards

**_A Guardian And His Wards_**

_Summary: When his memories return Jack finds his reasons to be a Guardian and then pays a visit to the last believer_

A soft nuzzle awoke him from where he lay, slumped at the bottom of an ice valley. The gentle prodding made Jack emit a weak chuckle; they always knew where to find him.

"I really messed up big time, huh?" Jack wheezed to the two warm masses in front of him. Rufus just huffed, continuing to nose him, making sure he was okay. Jack smiled at the polar bear, reaching out a shaky hand to stroke across the white fur. A shrill squeak pierced the peace of their reunion.

"Babytooth! Are you okay? Pitch, I- I'm so sorry, I thought he'd let you go!" He stumbled through desperate apologies for a few minutes before, finally having had enough, a disgruntled Rufus directed a swift swat stopped Jack. Babytooth flitted over from where she had been warmly kept in Martin's fur to hover in front of Jack, squeaking a mile a minute, reassuring him that she was fine but that Pitch was still a danger to the children of the world. She only became more frantic when Jack's expression remained defeated.

"What does it matter now Babytooth? Pitch is right, all I do is make a mess; I'm a screw up and I can't-" This time Rufus' paw came down with more force and an annoyed growl. Babytooth took Jack's momentary distraction as an opportunity to swoop into his hoody pocket.

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed to both creatures, before beckoning Martin over, who had, up until now, been staring at the winter sprite in concern. The less prickly of the twins burrowed into his arms, glad to be back with his parent (because to the cubs that's what Jack was: a father and mother all rolled into one). Rufus joined the cuddle, settling down in his usual spot in Jack's arms. The reunion was interrupted a moment later however, when Jack's hoody began glowing.

"Jack," a voice called from inside his hoody, enticing him just as it had in the bogeyman's lair. As his spooked cubs scrambled off of him, he reached inside and pulled out the luminous box, eyes wide. He glanced down at the fairy on his knee who nodding encouragingly.

Allowing his gaze to stray once more, this time to his cubs who stared at the speaking case in his hands, he ran his fingers down the diamond patterns and his sight turned white.

* * *

Martin kept trying to rouse Jack from the sleep he had fallen into, as he had been trying to for the five minutes since the box had flared bright enough to momentarily blind the small group. They had regained their sight only to see their parent slumped against the ice, the magical contraption still grasped in his hand. Sometimes he could hear the box speaking again and though the voices were now distorted he would recognise his Jack's voice anywhere.

Rufus, meanwhile, was growling at the fairy who had summoned the evil artefact that had ensnared Jack. But his demands to know what she had done were met with unintelligible, shrill squeaking that didn't quit even when he turned his attention back to the grounded spirit. It was hurting his ears.

Already stressed by the state they had found their parent in, the shrill incessant sound that _Jack wasn't awake to__ stop _ripped away the last vestiges of his control. He let his instincts overtake his moon-given humanity and bellowed out an almighty roar.

The silence in the narrow valley that followed was a small relief. That Jack gasped in wakefulness not ten seconds after was a bigger one.

Jack was panting as if he had run a race and glancing around wildly, eyes stopping briefly on each face.

"Did, did you see that?" He questioned those surrounding him and let out a slightly hysterical chuckle when they all shook their heads.

"It was me!" Jack continued, scooping up the two polar bears and the small fairy in a tight embrace. Both bears relaxed as their Jack was back once again and no worse for wear. His next words made them stiffen.

"I had a family! I had a sister, I saved her!" But even in his enthusiasm, he knew something was wrong. He glanced down at his cubs, smile and excitement freezing on his face as he saw the betrayal and pain in their expressions. He knew why of course, he always knew. It was as if they were blessed with telepathy between them.

Jack softened his smile and loosened his embrace so that he could stroke the back of each bear soothingly.

"I had a family, a mother and a sister from what I saw. S'pose I should've known... If I didn't have experience looking after my sister I think we'd have made a much more dysfunctional family. Plus I must've inherited my mother's second sense for mischief-making children what with all the catastrophes I've had to avert due to you." He gave Martin a teasing poke in the side and grinned when the bear whined and squirmed to get away.

He stared down at the two cubs clutched to his chest and felt the tightness there loosen. Of course he was a Guardian... and these were his wards.

* * *

Jack fought to get to Burgess with the cubs, er, bears weighing him down. referring to them as cubs was stretching the truth and Jack only used the term affectionately nowdays. They were in the halfway mark between child and adult and if they were human they'd probably be waxing poetic about girls or groaning about acne. But they were bears and Jack was hardly ever faced with the fact they were growing up...until the time came where he had to carry them. Being roughly waist-high on all fours, it was a struggle for even the wind to lift them.

As it was, Jack was forced horizontal with Rufus draped over his back and claws digging into his shoulder whilst Martin was crushed against Jack, two arms wrapped around his stomach in a death grip.

All in all, it made for very slow travel.

Jack almost cried in relief as Jamie's house came into view and dropped into a snow mound below his window, making sure to take most of the blow from the crash landing. He immediately surged to his feet and after checking the bears for injury floated to peek inside the Bennet house.

"You have to prove it, like right now." Jack's heart broke as he observed the non-exchange between the last believer and the toy bunny, knowing if he didn't do something then hope was gone. He racked his brains, becoming more desperate when he heard Jamie's disappointed response to the silence.

His first thought was to push one of his cubs through the window before realising that wouldn't work for a number of reasons; one being that the window was really too small to fit an adolescent polar bear through, the second being that no spirit he knew was associated with polar bears and that Jamie wouldn't make the connection between the guardians and the polar bear that would suddenly occupy most of his floor space.

Jack frustratedly drummed his fingers on the glass, not noticing the now common sight of ice blooming until the crackle of it reached both his and Jamie's ears. Jack stiffened when he saw Jamie's head snap up only to realise he was staring at the forming frost. Jack grinned as inspiration struck. A crude picture of an egg took form on a windowpane and Jamie's eyes widened with awe. The rabbit Jack made next sparked such glee that Jack couldn't help bounding into the room after it, not noticing the recognition in the boy's eyes when a snowflake from the bunny landed directly on his nose.

"Jack Frost."

The words were whispered in disbelief but there was no mistaking the sight of the Winter spirit who was staring back at the boy in shock.

"You, you can see me?" The boy nodded and that was all the prompting jack needed to start a small snow storm in the middle of Jamie's bed room amid breathless cries of, "he sees me!"

"You made it snow!"

"I know!"

"In my room!"

"I know!"

Jack's face suddenly lit up in excitement and threw himself out of the window, scaring Jamie half to death.

The boy ran after him and peered into the street. He almost thought he was dreaming when he saw Jack proudly proclaiming to a couple of _polar bears_ that Jamie could see him.

Maybe dreaming wasn't such a bad explanation after all.

**Ah, I lied... I'm sorry but this just got so long and I decided to make it into two. Pitch'll definately be in the next one!**

**Even with me cutting off here this is my longest chapter yet.  
**

**This does make use of lines from the movie but I decided to change it a bit. **


	5. Chapter 5 - A Guardian and His Duty

**_A Guardian and His Duty_**

_Summary: It's the final battle between the Guardians and Pitch, history in the making. Some new characters write themselves in._

"There are polar bears in my front garden!"

"I know"

"_Polar bears_!"

Jack stared at Jamie, wondering if stating the obvious was a new game he hadn't caught up with; the kid seemed to do it fairly often. He opened his mouth to once again confirm that there were polar bears in Jamie's garden (well technically Martin wasn't as he had gone to investigate next door's fountain) when he noticed a swiftly falling object careening down towards the neighbourhood He pushed Jamie behind him and whistled for the cubs to come back. He wasn't sure whether it was a trick by Pitch or another danger but having just found his guardian groove, Jack wasn't willing to let anything happen on his watch.

As the object became closer and clearer, it was quickly apparent that his defensive positioning was unnecessary. Santa's sleigh crashed heavily into the road, reindeer scattering as it tipped over sideways. The group in the garden watched its two occupants clamour out and stagger as if North had once again spiked the eggnog.

"It's Santa!" Jamie cried ecstatically and Jack suddenly remembered the question he wanted to asked but was once again prevented, this time by Jamie continuing to state the obvious.

"And the Toothfairy! Jack, look!" The Guardians' eyes snapped towards the frost spirit in a question that North, after a few tense moments, voiced.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" His tone was slightly wondering, making Jack smile as he thought of the older spirit's advice on centres; he had found his own finally.

The soft smile was still in place as he glanced at Jamie and then at the polar bears crowding round his legs. "Same as you," he said, his words tinged with fondness.

Jamie chose that minute to grab Jack's hand, unwittingly drawing the attention back to himself. At the action, the polar bears pressed into Jack's legs more.

"The last believer!" North breathed out, his tone once again as full of wonder as his eyes. Jamie let go of Jack to the run the short space towards the now frail old man.

"It really is you," the boy said, taking North's hand as if to prove to his mind what his eyes were telling him.

"I knew it wasn't a dream!" he called to Jack. He turned around and the winter sprite saw that wonder echoed in the Jamie's expression. He could see why it would need a Guardian; it was precious.

It made him proud to know that it was there now because of him, Jack.

"Where's Bunny?" He asked, wanting, perhaps selfishly, to see the same gratitude on the Pooka's face. The newcomers looked at each other sadly before a noise from the sleigh drew their attention. Jack didn't bother to tense for battle this time but he did grab Martin's scruff as he scurried forward to investigate.

From out the wreckage of the once proud airship hopped a tiny rabbit.

"Bunny?" Jack gasped at the same that Jamie giggled, "that's the Easter Bunny?"

Bunnymund puffed up, inflated by a severely wounded ego, but it only served to make him more comical.

"So now somebody sees me? Where were you about an hour ago mate?" the shrunken Easter Bunny demanded. Jamie turned back to Jack beseechingly; for some reason he'd had an image of a large imposing creature, it was hazy as if a dream, but he was certain this wasn't right. He said as much to the Guardians, hoping for answers before giving Bunny a scratch under his chin to calm the animal that was growing steadily more restless. It worked for all but ten seconds before Bunny railed on Jack.

"Did you tell him to say that?" Bunny snapped, incensed at the thought that Jack could make fun of him at a time like this: when Easter had failed, his believers were disbelieving and Pitch was close to power once again. Couldn't that kid take anything seriously?

He leapt forward, his intent being to give Jack a good hiding and a lesson in respecting his elders but two threatening growls stopped him. Catching sight of the monstrous polar bear that had pinned him in the Antarctic, he rethought his plan of attack... then he saw his brother, just as feral looking as the other, and decided retreat was in order. He hopped back towards North and Jamie and the latter bent down to his level.

"No, Jack told me you were real..." He paused there guiltily but then continued to admit, "just when I thought that maybe you weren't." Bunny paused in his escape mission to behind North's legs and turned wide eye on Jamie.

"He made you believe... in me?"

He stared at Jack before a small smile stretched across his face like an olive branch, a gesture Jack returned instantaneously.

The moment was broken however when a large flash of lightning cut across the sky that was swiftly followed by loud bellow of thunder.

Pitch had arrived.

* * *

Gathering Jamie's friends had been a stroke of genius on Jack's part; although it was only short-term, being close to believers had given the Guardians a much need energy boost.

Plus skate boarding down the street was a good way to get adrenaline pumping; mix Pitch's fear with a bit of fun. Seeing a tiny rabbit flanked by two massive polar bears sledging on a bin lid was definitely an image that would be staying with Jack forever.

However, all the enjoyment was quickly sapped from the children when they came face to face with the Boogeyman.

He sat astride his steed, staring down at the rag-tag group, a sneer attached firmly to his face.

"Well don't you make a pitiful sight; a frail old man, a flightless bird, a flea bag and Jack Frost... a walking talking corpse." A sinister smirk cut across Pitch's face as he caught the pain that flashed on Jack's. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one and the twin cubs immediately advanced, their protectiveness overriding their common sense.

Pitch's smirk widened but he ignored the two, instead electing to watch Jack as he made to stop them. "Isn't this precious Jackson? Two little boys stepping up in mummy's defence." His voice gained a sharp edge, malicious intent coating it like poison on a blade. "I suppose you should be proud; they're just like you... they'll do anything for family, even die!"

With that last word Pitch unleashed a wave of nightmare sand, directing it with a swirl of his hand to form a ring around the two cubs. The guardians and children watched on in horror as Jack rushed towards his charges only to be thrown back violently by tendril of black sand.

Pitch chuckled at the gasps and growls he received as Jack flew through the air like a rag doll and mock winced at the dull thud that sounded when the boy collided with a brick wall. He waited until the frost spirit had picked himself up before he started on the cubs, his flair for dramatics demanding an attentive audience.

"Let the show begin!" The sand reacted on Pitch's command and small globs broke away from the dirty sand to morph into monstrous shapes. Killer whales circled around the twins like sharks around a meal.

But that's all they did.

The group outside the ring watched on in confusion (and frustration on Pitch's part) as the nightmares-turned-whales continued to swim through the air around them whilst Rufus and Martin sat in the middle, nonplussed about their position. It was Pitch who realised the problem first and promptly burst in a fit of anger.

"Why aren't you terrified?!" the Nightmare King demanded when the bears continued to appeared unfazed. His outcry tipped off the others to the issue and Jack snorted.

"Because, you idiot, killer whales don't actually hunt polar bears, they have no natural predators! Read up on your animals!" Jack shouted back to him before turning to Jamie and saying in a voice that showed he was very pleased with himself, "I read that in a book!"

He turned back to the boogeyman, more taunts at the ready but they froze on his tongue at the expression on his face; calm and calculating. Cold.

"No _natural_ predators, eh?" And just like that the sand shifted into humans. Humans with guns. Pitch's expression darkened as he scented fear in the air.

Jack was once again racing towards his cubs, the others were hot on his heels but he was faster. He reached the nightmare wall first and Pitch laughed as Jack was once again tossed away from the barrier separating Jack from the creatures that spared him the loneliness Pitch had felt all these years. He felt their death was a suitable repayment for the insult Jack had dealt him, poetic irony. The Nightmare King called for his hunters to take aim and like a firing squad they lifted their barrels, ready to shoot on Pitch's order. Again he was waiting for Jack to get up, he wanted to see the ice crack.

And that was his downfall.

Whilst the Guardians had stopped short of the dark ring, staring in dismay as Jack was painfully flung away from the helpless bears, Jamie Bennet, the last believer, had charged on with all the force of his belief. He saw the way Jack treated the bears; more like his children than his pets. He knew he had to save them, even if that did involve something nasty in the process.

He reached out and closed his eyes as his hand made contact with the tainted dreamsand.

And the rest is history.

**A/N: So... hello, long time no see. This chapter did not want to be written.**

**And neither did those essays I was assigned.**

**I'm not sure how many of you read the author's notes but here's an announcement...**

**I'm going on hiatus. Oh please stop sobbing, it's embarrassing for all of us.  
**

**However, when I do come back (and I will, I'm not gonna say I'm like Jesus, 'cause I'm not, I'm more like a zombie) there will be a lot more stories and a lot more fandoms (but mostly Harry Potter and Rise of the Guardians).  
**

**Another announcement... this is the end of A Polar Bear Named Rufus.**

**So thanks for following this story, there's still an epilogue to come (but again I don't know when that will happen) along with a couple of bunny scenes (as the tags implied, i sorta lost my way) but they won't be now.**

**It's been a pleasure writing this story, thank you for all the reviews, faves and follows. And a special shout out to TheJoyousCrosser, every time I saw a review from you I perked up, you're a boss!**


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